An Automatic PGP Desktop Responder for Standalone Users

For a variety of reasons ranging from incorrect installation to corrupted environment the standalone user of PGP Desktop may have a 'strange' installation of PGP Desktop not always identifiable by means of "error messages". Clarifying the doubt may not always be possible to be done with other contacts (e.g. customers) as this would raise suspicion about PGP, hence distracting confusion.

The idea would consist in the PGP Global Directory (or equivalent for this purpose) to contain an email address, equipped with necessary PGP Keys, that would act as an automatic responder.

In case of doubt on own PGP installation, the PGP Desktop Standalone User would send a message to this Responder address with a choice of 'clear', signed, and or encrypted. A simple diagnostic would be carried out, and a response email sent back to the Standalone User. This would give the user a level of confidence (or not) about the correctness of his/her PGP installation.

This may provide colleagues of the Connect group some information about the potentially anomalous PGP Desktop installation.

A PGP Standalone user is really alone with PGP anomaly (despite the good work of other Forum contributors).

This may already exist in Symantec. If this is so, please let me know as this would be helpful for me at the moment.

I have been using PGP Personal Privacy v 6.5.8 without problem until recently, on my desk top running Windows XP, primarily to password protect the contents of data stored on DVD/removable media.

I have now upgraded the desktop to a PC running Windows 7, but unfortunately I get an error message to say that the PGP Personal Privacy v 6.5.8 has not installed correctly and the uninstall shield is not in place which presents a security risk. I have tried to correct this by re-installing and using the Compatibility Trouble Shooter and Compatibility mode in Windows 7, but these do not alter the problem.

Please can anyone advise me of a solution to this problem or should I buy a suitable new PGP application package.